Sophie Devine said that she is proud to call time on her career after retiring from ODIs after New Zealand's final game of the Women's World Cup 2025 against England. Devine played 159 ODIs for the White Ferns.
00:00Hi. First of all, congratulations on a superb ODA career. Thank you for doing this. I know it must be a bit tiring to do the press match, post-match presentation and the press conference after an emotional day. So how are you feeling right now, the match, the tournament, and how do you sum up your feelings right now?
00:21Um, yeah, I'm probably pleasantly okay at the moment. I certainly know the emotions will come out later, but I think the thing that I'm really proud of is having made this decision, which was really tough to step away from the game that I love and this format that I love so much, to be able to finish, you know, results-wise, not the way that we wanted to finish today.
00:47Like, absolutely, everyone wishes that they could finish on a high, but it doesn't happen very often at all. But the fact that I am still so proud and so, yeah, grateful of everything that this group has given me and, yeah, I guess my whole career, one day, one game, doesn't define that.
01:06So, yeah, I've just got so much love, I guess, that, yeah, I'll be really keen just to sit with my teammates, support staff, and just, yeah, reflect on what's been a pretty cool ride.
01:23Another thing, it seemed you denied a guard of honour in the beginning of the match, but then you received one at the end of it. So, how, can you elaborate on that? Were you a bit, did you not want to be in the limelight, or was it a conscious decision you, conscious thing you've told them, the teammates and the opposition?
01:46Yeah, well, I'm not retiring from T20 cricket just yet, so I thought it was a bit weird if they give me a guard of honour and then I walk out next game against England in a guard of honour, are they going to do that every single, I mean, maybe I should have, and they can just keep doing it.
01:58But, yeah, I guess it's hard because, I guess, with having made my announcement so early, everyone knows about it, and they probably want to recognise it, whereas I would have just liked to have gone under the radar and gone about my business, you know, like any other day.
02:12But, you know, I've got so much respect and, yeah, admiration for the people, you know, England for wanting to do that for me. It's, yeah, it's really nice of them, but for me, yeah, I guess they trapped me a little bit there at the end.
02:26I didn't have too many options, but, again, just so cool to be able to share that, not only with my teammates, but also the English as well.
02:34We saw you wearing a green stone around your neck. Could you share something about it? Was it a gift from a family member or a teammate?
02:43It's actually a gift from the team when I brought up my 300th game earlier in this tournament, and it's, yeah, it's a special piece of jewellery, unique to New Zealand, Poonamu, which is a green stone, which, yeah, is incredibly special and I'll hold very dear.
02:58And I thought it was, you know, a really awesome opportunity today to wear that out to the toss and out to the anthem because, yeah, it's a symbol of a lot of things.
03:08But, yeah, the fact that that was a gift from this team, I thought it was a really awesome chance for me to, yeah, share that and also, I guess, yeah, share a little bit of Aotearoa with the rest of the world.
03:19How did you feel bowling the last overs, especially along with partner in crime, if I may, Susie Bates alongside you? How was it the last few minutes of your ODI career?
03:31Yeah, look, I mean, it would have been nice if it was in different circumstances and we were, you know, bowling for the win, but I guess that's probably one of the good things about being captain, isn't it, is you can decide what you want to do and who wants to bowl.
03:43So, yeah, nice to be able to, I guess, finish my career with the ball in hand and to have Susie down the other end.
03:50Bowling as well, it's, you know, pretty special and, you know, I know I'll look back on that.
03:55I mean, Jonesy could have at least padded one back to me and given me another wicker.
03:58I know Heather just, you know, walked away, which I appreciate that.
04:02But, yeah, look, I think, yeah, today was always going to end at some stage.
04:07You know, I guess probably fitting that it happened off my bowling and I got pumped for four.
04:11So, a bit of a reality check for me just to send me on my way.
04:14But, again, you know, cricket, yeah, cricket doesn't owe you anything.
04:20Hello.
04:21First of all, congratulations with your Wurundu full cricket career.
04:25My question is that what do you think in this match, turning point?
04:31The turning point in this match?
04:32Yes, ma'am.
04:33Oh, look, it was our batting.
04:35We thought that was a 300-plus wicket.
04:37And the platform that we set, I thought the way Mealy and Georgia battered was outstanding
04:42and just really disappointing the way that we lost wickets continually.
04:45And I guess the manner in which we lost them was pretty soft, if I'm being honest.
04:50We pride ourselves on really valuing our wicket.
04:53And too many dismissals today were, yeah, just weak.
04:57So, for us to only get, yeah, 160-odd on the board was never going to be enough against, you know,
05:03a quality opposition but also on a really good flat wicket.
05:06So, I think today, yeah, our batting let us down.
05:09The second thing, what do you think this season, why New Zealand players are not according to the condition of India?
05:18Well, we haven't adapted to the conditions of India.
05:23It's hard to adapt to conditions when it's raining half the time.
05:25But, look, I think I'm not too sure if I agree with that comment, to be perfectly honest with you.
05:32I think you look at other teams.
05:33You looked at South Africa yesterday, South Africa against England, where they were bowled out for 60 in 89.
05:38I mean, we didn't get skittled for that less.
05:41So, look, I thought we absolutely could have done a lot better.
05:45Yeah, absolutely, we could have played these conditions a lot better, but I don't believe that we weren't well prepared.
05:51We spent so much time leading into this tournament.
05:54You know, we had 10 players over in Chennai for 10 days.
05:56Like, the work that we put in to come over here, you know, I'm not sure what else we could have done as a side to prepare for conditions.
06:03And, to be honest, a lot of the wickets were pretty flat.
06:06I mean, there were maybe one or two that spun and were a little bit low.
06:08But, again, we weren't able to play all our fixtures, which was, you know, frustrating.
06:13But, yeah, I'm not sure I'd necessarily agree with the fact that we didn't.
06:17Last one.
06:17Okay.
06:18About your career, what good memory you received your whole career and what are your next future plans?
06:27Future plans keep playing cricket.
06:30And then...
06:30Anything.
06:32Yep, not too sure yet.
06:34And then, yeah, I guess last year's World Cup probably sits pretty high for me.
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